wrbones
04-24-03, 05:00 AM
N. Korea: War at 'any moment'
Thursday, April 24, 2003 Posted: 4:04 AM EDT (0804 GMT)
More than a million troops face each other across the DMZ dividing North and South Korea.
Optimism is waning among some South Koreans as talks on the future of North Korea's nuclear program are set to begin. CNN's Sohn Jie-Ae reports
PYONGYANG, North Korea -- North Korea is sticking by its demand that Washington end its "hostile policy" towards Pyongyang, saying that in the present situation war may break out at "any moment" on the Korean Pensinsula.
The stark warning came as U.S. and North Korean officials began a second day of talks in Beijing aimed at easing months of tensions over the North's alleged nuclear weapons program.
In its statement carried Thursday on the North Korean state news agency, Pyongyang said that the U.S.-led war in Iraq has shown that the only way for a country to protect itself was to have a powerful deterrent.
In such a situation it said the "master key" to any progress in the talks was for Washington to make a "bold switchover" in its policy toward the North.
The statement, which made reference to the Beijing talks, appears to be a hardening of Pyongyang's long-standing position seeking some kind of security guarantee from the U.S. before it will talk about dismantling its nuclear program.
"In actuality, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is so tense that a war may break out any moment due to the U.S. moves," the North said.
The U.S. has insisted it will not be blackmailed, but says it has no plans to invade North Korea or to resort to any kind of military action.
Nonetheless, officials say their message to the North is that it must immediately end production of nuclear weapons and establish an intrusive inspections regime.
'Violation of sovereignty'
The talks taking place in Beijing -- scheduled to continue until Friday -- are the first official meetings between the U.S. and North Korea since last October when Washington said North Korean officials admitted to them that they were pursuing an active nuclear weapons program.
North Korea, for its part, denies that any such admission took place and says the U.S. is using its accusation as an excuse to justify military action.
In its statement Thursday, the North said the recent war in Iraq had shown that demands for arms verification were a pretext for war.
"The inspection and disarmament forced by the U.S. upon an independent state in violation of its sovereignty and its right to existence without any proper reason and ground are only aimed to justify and legalize aggression and war," the statement said.
As a nuclear weapons state itself, the North's statement went on, the United States should open its weapons facilities to inspections too.
"The DPRK-U.S. talks should, therefore, discuss and settle the issue of the U.S. renunciation of its hostile intention and policy toward the DPRK before talking about the 'verification' and the dismantlement of physical deterrent force," it said.
DPRK is the acronym for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name for North Korea.
Officials attending the talks in Beijing have remained tight-lipped about their progress but observers say there is little likelihood of any major breakthrough being announced. Most say the best outcome will be an agreement to meet for further talks at a later date.
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and both agreed the talks were "beneficial", China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
"The two sides exchanged views on how to properly handle the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and both believed that the ongoing talks in Beijing [were[ beneficial," the Xinhua report said.
The U.S. delegation to the talks is led by the same official who confronted Pyongyang about its nuclear program last October -- Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs James Kelly.
The North Korean team is headed by Deputy Director General Li Gun from the American Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- a relatively low-level official who, observers say, does not have the authority to cut any major deals with the U.S.
An official wall of silence has surrounded the talks.
But South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted sources as saying U Kelly demanded North Korea dismantle its nuclear plans verifiably and irreversibly.
From the North's side, the paper said Li admitted the Iraq war had taught Pyongyang to see a non-aggression pact.
Thursday, April 24, 2003 Posted: 4:04 AM EDT (0804 GMT)
More than a million troops face each other across the DMZ dividing North and South Korea.
Optimism is waning among some South Koreans as talks on the future of North Korea's nuclear program are set to begin. CNN's Sohn Jie-Ae reports
PYONGYANG, North Korea -- North Korea is sticking by its demand that Washington end its "hostile policy" towards Pyongyang, saying that in the present situation war may break out at "any moment" on the Korean Pensinsula.
The stark warning came as U.S. and North Korean officials began a second day of talks in Beijing aimed at easing months of tensions over the North's alleged nuclear weapons program.
In its statement carried Thursday on the North Korean state news agency, Pyongyang said that the U.S.-led war in Iraq has shown that the only way for a country to protect itself was to have a powerful deterrent.
In such a situation it said the "master key" to any progress in the talks was for Washington to make a "bold switchover" in its policy toward the North.
The statement, which made reference to the Beijing talks, appears to be a hardening of Pyongyang's long-standing position seeking some kind of security guarantee from the U.S. before it will talk about dismantling its nuclear program.
"In actuality, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is so tense that a war may break out any moment due to the U.S. moves," the North said.
The U.S. has insisted it will not be blackmailed, but says it has no plans to invade North Korea or to resort to any kind of military action.
Nonetheless, officials say their message to the North is that it must immediately end production of nuclear weapons and establish an intrusive inspections regime.
'Violation of sovereignty'
The talks taking place in Beijing -- scheduled to continue until Friday -- are the first official meetings between the U.S. and North Korea since last October when Washington said North Korean officials admitted to them that they were pursuing an active nuclear weapons program.
North Korea, for its part, denies that any such admission took place and says the U.S. is using its accusation as an excuse to justify military action.
In its statement Thursday, the North said the recent war in Iraq had shown that demands for arms verification were a pretext for war.
"The inspection and disarmament forced by the U.S. upon an independent state in violation of its sovereignty and its right to existence without any proper reason and ground are only aimed to justify and legalize aggression and war," the statement said.
As a nuclear weapons state itself, the North's statement went on, the United States should open its weapons facilities to inspections too.
"The DPRK-U.S. talks should, therefore, discuss and settle the issue of the U.S. renunciation of its hostile intention and policy toward the DPRK before talking about the 'verification' and the dismantlement of physical deterrent force," it said.
DPRK is the acronym for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name for North Korea.
Officials attending the talks in Beijing have remained tight-lipped about their progress but observers say there is little likelihood of any major breakthrough being announced. Most say the best outcome will be an agreement to meet for further talks at a later date.
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and both agreed the talks were "beneficial", China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
"The two sides exchanged views on how to properly handle the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and both believed that the ongoing talks in Beijing [were[ beneficial," the Xinhua report said.
The U.S. delegation to the talks is led by the same official who confronted Pyongyang about its nuclear program last October -- Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs James Kelly.
The North Korean team is headed by Deputy Director General Li Gun from the American Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- a relatively low-level official who, observers say, does not have the authority to cut any major deals with the U.S.
An official wall of silence has surrounded the talks.
But South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted sources as saying U Kelly demanded North Korea dismantle its nuclear plans verifiably and irreversibly.
From the North's side, the paper said Li admitted the Iraq war had taught Pyongyang to see a non-aggression pact.